Cyclone Arnab struck the Andhra Pradesh coast in the early hours of Wednesday, October 28, unleashing sustained winds of 125 to 135 kmph. The storm’s impact was immediate and visible. In Kakinada and Yanam, trees crashed onto main roads, snapping power lines and leaving residents in the dark. Visuals from the scene show infrastructure buckling under the force of gusts that hit 150 kmph.
The damage extends to Visakhapatnam, where strong winds uprooted trees across Beach Road and Seethammadhara. Roads are blocked. Traffic is gridlocked. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded extremely heavy rainfall—over 200 mm—between 8:30 am on October 27 and 3 am on October 28 in the Anakapalli and Visakhapatnam districts. This deluge has turned streets into rivers, complicating rescue and relief efforts.
Authorities moved fast to protect vulnerable populations. ANI reported that 71 pregnant women were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Malkangiri, Odisha, ensuring they had access to medical care during the severe weather. The cyclone is not just affecting Andhra Pradesh; parts of West Bengal are reporting heavy rain and strong winds, while the IMD has issued warnings for multiple districts in Odisha.
The weather system is moving northwestwards at 3 kmph, a slow crawl that prolongs the danger. The IMD forecasts winds of this intensity to persist for around three hours before gradually weakening. But the real threat is the water. A storm surge of 1.5 to 2.5 metres above normal sea tide is expected to inundate low-lying areas along the Andhra Pradesh coast over the next four to five hours. Kakinada and Yanam face the highest surge, with coastal communities bracing for potential flooding as the storm tracks slowly north-northwestwards.